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Looking for healthy breakfast ideas? Bake these healthy zucchini oatmeal muffins! Really moist and soft with warm spices throughout, these healthy muffins are clean eating with a gluten free option. This easy muffin recipe is made with greek yogurt, oats, and no sugar. The zucchini gives them an amazing texture and makes them so tender. They’re the BEST healthy zucchini muffins! You’ll love this healthy baking recipe!

Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins

© Amy's Healthy Baking
Yields: 13 muffins
These muffins are moist, tender, and perfect for meal prepping or quick grab-and-go breakfasts and snacks! They’re deliciously sweet with lots of cozy spice flavors, and hearty oats and bright green zucchini fill every bite. Even my picky eaters loved them! Leftovers will keep for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they freeze and reheat really well too!
5 from 14 votes
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Ingredients 

  • ¾ cup (75g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
  • ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup + 1 tbsp (255mL) nonfat milk, divided
  • 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 tbsp (6g) ground cinnamon (see Notes!)
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
  • 2 ¼ cups (203g) freshly grated zucchini, thoroughly patted dry (see Notes!)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 13 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using liners, then line 13 muffin cups with liners and coat them with cooking spray.)
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, and 5 tablespoons of milk. In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a third bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla, and liquid stevia. Add in the oat mixture, stirring until no lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining ¾ cup of milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the zucchini.
  • Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 30-33 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will dry out the muffins. This is especially true of the oats; they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture.
 
IMPORTANT ZUCCHINI NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Measure the zucchini before patting it dry. You must thoroughly pat it dry to remove the excess moisture because that excess moisture will cause the muffins to collapse while cooling. To pat the zucchini dry, lay a double-thick layer of paper towels onto a cutting board, and arrange the freshly grated zucchini on top. Place another double-thick layer of paper towels on the zucchini, and firmly press down until the top towel layer turns completely wet. Continue to repeat with a fresh set of double thick paper towels on top until you can’t press any more moisture out of the zucchini.
 
Do NOT add more zucchini! Just like not thoroughly drying your zucchini, additional zucchini will cause your muffins to collapse while cooling.
 
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to make the batter. This will result in rubbery, gummy, dense, or tough muffins. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
 
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I think these muffins taste even better the day after they’ve been baked! That gives the spices a chance to meld and marry, so they taste a bit stronger, richer, and fuller the next day.
 
For a stronger spice flavor, increase the cinnamon by an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon.
 
For sweeter muffins, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon.
 
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats, so they soften faster (which gives these muffins their moist and fluffy texture!). They only include one ingredient — oats! — just like old-fashioned rolled oats. You can find instant oats right next to the traditional old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store. (They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal!)
 
In a pinch, to make your own DIY version, add ¾ cup (75g) of old-fashioned rolled oats to a blender or food processor, and pulse until they’re ⅛ to ¼ of their original size.
 
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat flour.
 
SPICE NOTES: This is my favorite cinnamon (← I buy it online there!) because it tastes stronger, richer, and sweeter than regular cinnamon. I highly recommend it, if you're a cinnamon fan like I am! The allspice and nutmeg add richness and a lovely background warmth.
 
EGG WHITES NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: The muffins require 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the muffins maintain their shape and texture while cooling. Without both egg whites, the muffins will collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.
 
If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 large eggs AND decrease the milk by 1 tablespoon (15mL) to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
 
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, use the same liquid stevia that I do. I buy it online here (← that’s the best price I’ve found!), and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too. (It's one of my favorite ingredients!)
 
However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the muffins, substitute ¾ cup (144g) granulated sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar AND reduce the milk to ½ cup + 3 tablespoons (165mL). You may also substitute ¾ cup (180mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave AND reduce the milk to 5 tablespoons instead. The baking time may vary slightly with either of those substitutions.
 
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
 
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ¼ teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
 
HOW TO STORE: Store the fully cooled muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least 4 days (if not closer to a week!). I highly recommend reheating refrigerated muffins before eating them. I pop them in the microwave on 30% power until they're warmed all the way through. They almost taste freshly baked like that!
 
FREEZING TIPS: Peel off the paper liners before freezing. (It’s harder to peel them off after thawing or reheating the muffins!) I like to thaw individual muffins in the microwave on 50% power until they’re warmed all the way through. They almost taste freshly baked like that!
 
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, sugar-free, nut-free}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.